Can U.S. Stop Davis Cup Jinx? Davenport Raps Young Jankovic
Posted on September 24, 2007
Roddick Sends U.S. to Davis Cup Final Hosting Russia
Andy Roddick again showed he is the go-to guy in Davis Cup when his American singles teammates fail to produce, on Sunday defeating Jonas Bjorkman, a late replacement for a stomach-ailing Thomas Johansson, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4 to put the Americans in the final against Russia.
Roddick went 2-0 over the weekend in Sweden, picking up for teammate James Blake who lost on Friday to Johansson, with the Bryan brothers earning the Saturday doubles point. The loss dropped Blake to an 11-8 career record in Davis Cup singles for the U.S.
If the empty seats at the Scandanvium in Gothenburg were any indication, Swedish fans had little hope of their injury-hit team making a comeback on Sunday. The Swedes were without big gun Robin Soderling who is suffering a wrist injury, and on Friday were forced to insert into the lineup Joachim Johansson who hadn't played a match since January due to a shoulder injury.
Roddick retained his perfect 9-for-9 record of closing out a tie on a decisive Sunday match.
"If I don't win another match between now and the final but we win the final, I'll take that," said the team-player Roddick. "This is my No. 1 priority for the rest of the year, and I'll be discussing my tournament schedule with Jimmy [Connors, his coach] and Patrick [McEnroe, his team captain] to make sure I look after my body and it's right where it needs to be for the final."
It will be the first Davis Cup final hosted by the U.S. since 1992, and an opportunity for the U.S. to end a 12-year title drought. The final will be played on Nov. 30-Dec. 2 against Russia, which edged Germany in the fifth match, with the site to be announced.
Russian Igor Andreev beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the final Sunday Russia-Germany semifinal match to clinch the tie.
"It's an amazing feeling playing here in Moscow and it's the second time I won the deciding point...it's great," Andreev said. "I like this feeling of adrenaline in your body before going on the court, it's so exciting to play here and it's great for our country to reach the Davis Cup final for the second year in a row."
On Friday Andreev beat Tommy Haas in straight sets, then Kohlschreiber evened the tie at 1-1 with a five-set win over Nikolay Davydenko. Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Waske on Saturday gave Germany a 2-1 lead heading into Sunday with a four-set win in the doubles over Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny.
"The way the loss developed is pretty hard to take," said German captain Patrik Kuhnen. "Being up 2-1 [Sunday] morning and then getting a message that Tommy Haas is not able to play because of a viral infection. Not having him on court was a major loss for us. Even though we lead 2-1 it was not a victory because the Russian team quality speaks for itself."
On Sunday the German substitute Petzschner lost in four sets to Youzhny before Andreev played the hero in the decider.
"It's a tough loss because maybe we had the chance to play a final in Germany, but that's the game and you have to live with the wins and the losses," Kuhnen said.
Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev says his squad will be ready when they travel to the U.S.
"We know they will play on a fast hard court so it's all about good preparation and if all the guys are in fine condition then it will be the five guys that were here that will go to the USA," Tarpischev said.
World Group Qualifying Playoffs Results
Israel d. Chile 3-2
Israel gains the World Group for the first time in 14 years after Dudi Sela beats Fernando Gonzalez 4-6, 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-3 in the five-hour opening match on Sunday to clinch the tie on the outdoor hardcourt at Canada Stadium in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.
Serbia d. Australia 4-1
Lleyton Hewitt gets a singles win, but Novak Djokovic gets two, as well as a doubles victory to put Serbia in the World Group for the first time ever. Hewitt has to sit out Sunday with a viral infection while Aussie Chris Guccione takes the final fall in singles.
Austria d. Brazil 4-1
Guga plays only in doubles, losing, as Austria rolls over the talent-challenged Brazilians.
Peru d. Belarus 3-1
The Peruvians put Max "The Beast" Mirnyi and crew on clay as Luis Horna wins two in singles, including the Sunday first singles over Mirnyi to put Peru in the World Group.
Great Britain d. Croatia 4-1
Andy Murray and Tim Henman steamroll the injury-plagued/disinterested Croats in Henman's pro tennis farewell.
Czech Republic d. Switzerland 3-2
World No. 1 Roger Federer wins both singles but loses the five-set doubles, and Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka goes 0-2 in singles, including the fifth-match decider against Radek Stepanek. The Swiss drop from the World Group for the first time in 13 years.
Romania d. Japan 3-2
Andrei Pavel and Victor Hanescu win both Sunday singles to keep Romania in the elite World Group. Takao Suzuki blew a 2-0 set lead in the first singles against Pavel, while Hanescu finished off Japan's Go Soeda in four sets including two tiebreaks.
Korea d. Slovak Republic 3-2
Failing to field any players of note, the Slovak Republic is topped by Korea in Sunday's opening singles, with Korea gaining the World Group for the first time since 1987.
Szavay Saves Match Point to Win China Open Title
BEIJING, China -- Agnes Szavay continued her assault up the game's elite in Beijing on Sunday, pulling off a comeback win over Jelena Jankovic to take home her second and biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title and book her spot in the world's Top 20.
With most of the attention on the bottom half of the draw, which featured Jankovic and a recently-returned Lindsay Davenport, among others, the No.6-seeded Szavay was able to cruise into her third final of the summer without losing a set. That trend didn't hold true as she battled No.2 seed Jankovic.
Jankovic came out firing, racing out to a 3-1 lead and earning several chances for 4-1. Szavay fought back and managed to get the opening set back on serve. She then got out to 5-0 in the tie-break -- even holding set points at 6-4, 6-5 and 7-6 -- but her higher-ranked opponent saved each one and claimed a one set lead.
"In the first set, she started to play better in the tie-break, and I was just too passive," Szavay said. "I missed some balls and she started playing really well."
Having pulled off an unlikely first set comeback Jankovic was full of confidence, and she burst out to a 5-1 lead in the second set, and brought up a match point on her return, with Szavay serving, 30-40. Then came the second serve ace.
"When she had match point, I wasn't thinking about losing the match," Szavay added, "I was just thinking about winning that point."
The match turned on a dime after that gutsy play, as the Hungarian reeled off nine consecutive games to surge ahead 3-0 in the third set. She squandered two match points and was broken while serving for the match at 5-1 in the decider, but broke Jankovic right back in the next game to complete a 67(7) 75 62 victory.
"When I had match point, everything happened so quickly," Jankovic said. "She started playing so fast. I lost my focus, and as the match went on it just became worse. I broke down in the third set. I was just a different player."
"At the end of the match I was a little bit nervous," Szavay said. "It can be hard to finish the match, especially when you're playing against the No.3 player in the world. But I'm happy to finish this with a title win."
The two-hour, 55-minute marathon capped another title run for Szavay, whose recent jump up the rankings includes her maiden victory at the Tier IV clay court stop in Palermo. Having begun the year ranked just inside the Top 200, the 18-year-old had risen to No.23 coming in, and will now rise to No.20.
"This is the biggest success for me so far in my career," Szavay continued. "I was happy I was able to turn today's match around from a bad position. It always feels great to win a tournament, especially after coming back from match point."
Jankovic, who has now lost her last three finals, contemplated her opportunities.
"I had so many opportunities I didn't take and my opponent just wasn't making any mistakes. I let the match go in a different direction. I should have been done but instead I was down in the third set."
But with Szavay only beginning to play regularly on the Tour earlier this year, it was not unheard of that the Serbian world No.3 be unassuming of her talents.
"I didn't know what to expect; we had never played," Jankovic added. "She has been improving and moved up the rankings so quickly. She's young and has huge potential. We will be hearing a lot more from her, I'm sure."
Neither player ran into a seed en route to the final, but Jankovic did deal with a form player, namely Lindsay Davenport. Having gone 8-0 since coming back to action in Bali last week, Davenport put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell, 63 75.
"Everything now is for the joy of -- it doesn't matter how I do, everything is just a bonus. I have a great life off the court and I'm very fortunate I'm able to come back and play. It's amazing how much life can change in a year. I'm having a great time. I'm just enjoying every minute in this second go-around."
Also making lots of noise this week was China's own Peng Shuai, who bounced seeded players Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo -- her fourth Top 10 scalp -- en route to her second straight China Open semifinal.
Chinese Taipei's Chuang Chia-Jung and Hsieh Su-Wei, the No.3 seeds, captured their first title as a team in the doubles event, defeating Chinese wildcards Han Xinyun and Xu Yi-Fan in Sunday's final, 76(2) 63.
-- WTA Tour
Kirilenko Kaptures Kolkata Title
KOLKATA, India -- One of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest young talents capped a perfect week and a recent return to form in Kolkata on Sunday, as Maria Kirilenko won her second career title -- and first in almost exactly two years -- at the Sunfeast Open.
Seeded No.4, Kirilenko never got into too much trouble through all five of her matches in the Indian city. She won her first three matches without dropping more than four games in any set; and after losing the first set to Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals, she stormed back to upset the No.2 seed in an entertaining three-setter, 46 62 61.
"My first few matches were pretty quick and I felt great going into the semifinals," Kirilenko said. "My semifinal was difficult, but after I lost the first set I didn't get upset. I still fought for every ball. I'd lost some close matches to her before and knew I had to take my chances this time, and that's why I won."
The Russian seemed unstoppable through most of Sunday night's championship final against the Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva. She blazed through the opening set at love, and after falling behind 2-0 in the second set she resumed that streak with six more in a row to complete a 60 62 win for the title.
"The score looked easy but I had to play well," Kirilenko said. "I served well, ran well, hit my groundstrokes well. Everything was just working and physically I felt really good. I'm thrilled to have played so well in the final."
Kirilenko has gone full circle since first bursting into prominence two seasons ago. She won her first career title at the Tier II stop in Beijing on September 25, 2005, and by the summer of 2006 was ranked in the world's Top 20. But a disappointing second half to 2006, winning six matches in 12 events, saw her drop to No.30.
The slump continued in the first half of this year, as Kirilenko dropped out of the Top 40 by the summer. But a coaching change and renewed focus helped the Russian to pull a complete 180 during the summer hardcourt season -- she made the quarterfinals at San Diego and Los Angeles, bouncing Jelena Jankovic and Marion Bartoli along the way, and was once again on the rise in the world ranks.
Now, she becomes one of 24 women this season to claim a title at the Tier III level or higher and hopes to continue her spike with new coach Eric Van Harpen.
"I changed coaches a few times last year to try different things; although I was always working hard the results weren't there," Kirilenko said. "But my coaching is perfect now. Eric and I started just before Wimbledon this year, and already I have had some great weeks in America and feel I'm on my way back up. We work hard and understand each other perfectly, so I'm very happy with him."
Asked about the two-year coincidence from her Beijing title, the 20-year-old said she didn't even realize it going into the final. But what she does know is that she had a career week in Kolkata.
"To win one more title is so great, and to do it here is nice. India is so different compared to other cultures. I've been here three times but in different cities. And I knew what to expect -- all the people are really nice, and I have a lot of support here, so it was just perfect. I'm really happy I was able to play here."
Koryttseva enjoyed what was by far the best week of her career, having never played even a quarterfinal, but here she made it all the way to her first final. She didn't drop a set en route but was pressed by Anne Keothavong in the semis, digging out of a 0-30 hole serving at 4-5 in the first set and eventually winning, 76(3) 63. Keothavong was the first Brit in a Tour semi in 15 years.
"I was really tired in the final and it was hard to move because of that but I give all the credit to Maria, she just played too well today," Koryttseva said. "This is a memorable week for me and I hope to come back to Kolkata next year."
Koryttseva was a runner-up twice Sunday, also falling in the doubles final with her Italian partner, Alberta Brianti. They fell to No.1-seeded teenagers Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva, 61 64, though they did lead 4-2 in the second set. It was King's fourth career Tour doubles title and second of the year, while Russia's Kudryavtseva claimed her first Tour title of any kind.
-- WTA Tour
Golovin Beats Srebotnik for WTA Portoroz Trophy
Top-seeded Tatiana Golovin outlasted Katarina Srebotnik 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Sunday to win the Slovenia Open in Portoroz.
Golovin, who lost first round at the US Open, said she played the smaller Portoroz event in an attempt to regain some rhythm.
"My form is up again," said the 19-year-old Frenchwoman. "I have a feeling that my strikes are like at the start of the season."
Srebotnik, the homecountry favorite, continued her title drought of approximately two years.
In the doubles final the No. 3-seeded Czech team of Hradecka/Voracova topped the Slovak-Russian pair of Klepac/Likhovtseva 5-7, 6-4, 10-7.
Venus Hopes to Rebound at WTA Hansol Korea Open
Venus Williams competes for the first time since losing to eventual champion Justine Henin at the US Open, appearing as the top seed this week at the Hansol Korea Open.
Joining Williams among the seeds are Beijing champ Agnes Szavay, Japan's Ai Sugiyama, Russian Maria Kirilenko, Greece's Eleni Daniilidou, Germany's Martina Muller, and Japan's Aiko Nakamura and Akiko Morigami.
Judging by William's high standards and the low quality of the field, anything less than a title could be a failure by the former No. 1-ranked American. Williams opens against a qualifier, than faces the winner of Aussie Casey Dellacqua and Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn.
Ahsha Rolle is the lone other American joining Williams in the draw out of the main draw acceptances.
Wildcards for the event went to Koreans Sung-Hee Han, So-Jung Kim, and Ye-Ra Lee.
Daniilidou is the defending champion, last year as an unseeded player upending the No. 4-seeded Sugiyama 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(3).
Chakvetadze Headlines Strong WTA Luxembourg Field
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg -- The European indoor season gets underway this week as the stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour head to Luxembourg for the 12th staging of the Fortis Championships. Alona Bondarenko is the defending champion at the $600,000, Tier II event, but will face stiff competition for her title from among others, Anna Chakvetadze and Ana Ivanovic.
This week's top seed, Chakvetadze, has enjoyed a tremendous season to date, recording four tournament wins -- including the hardcourt titles at Hobart, Cincinnati and Stanford -- and recently breaking into the world's Top 5 for the very first time. In her last outing on Tour, the 20-year-old Muscovite made it all the way to the semifinals of the US Open and she will look to continue this rich vein of form in what will be the second appearance of her career in Luxembourg.
The No.2 seed at the CK Sport Kockelscheuer will be Ivanovic, who, like Chakvetadze, has enjoyed a truly memorable 2007. Since the turn of the year the 19-year-old Serb has achieved a runner-up finish at Roland Garros, title runs in Berlin and Los Angeles and has firmly cemented her place in the elite Top 10. Ivanovic will be making her third appearance at the Fortis Championships and she will be eager to erase the memory of the first-round defeat she suffered 12 months ago.
Chakvetadze is not the only Russian among the seeds and her compatriot, Nadia Petrova, is more than capable of going all the way to the title this week. The 25-year-old enjoyed an impressive North American hardcourt swing this summer -- highlighted by a runner-up finish in Los Angeles -- and will be desperate to carry this form into the indoor arenas of Europe. In her previous three visits to Luxembourg Petrova has never been beyond the quarterfinals and this is a statistic the No.4 seed will be keen to amend this time around.
Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova will be the tournament's No.4 seed and after already capturing one hardcourt title this year -- at Indian Wells -- she will be confident of repeating the feat in southern Luxembourg. The 24-year-old is a two-time quarterfinalist at the Tier II event and after runner-up and semifinal finishes in her past two tournaments, she will be confident of another good showing in the coming week.
There is certainly no shortage in quality in this year's field and with such strength in depth, the 2007 champion could come from anywhere in the draw. Marion Bartoli, Patty Schnyder, Shahar Peer and Tatiana Golovin are the No.5, No.6, No.7 and No.8 seeds and all have the potential to trouble the favorites this week.
Bartoli shocked Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic during her memorable run to the Wimbledon final, while Schnyder, Peer and Golovin have all experienced numerous hardcourt successes in the past. Reigning champion Bondarenko is not even among the seeds, but after a consistent year on Tour she will commence her defence in buoyant mood.
-- WTA Tour
Bruguera Wins Seniors Paris
Sergi Bruguera beat Guy Forget 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday to win the 4th Trophee Jean Luc Lagardere senior tour event in Paris.
It was the fourth title of the year for the Spaniard, who lost to the Frenchman in last year's final.
"I'm playing very good on the court and I'm enjoying it," Bruguera said. "I'm trying shots that I've maybe never tried and they're going in. I'm really having very good fun when I'm on the court and that's why maybe I won the match."
Forget says Bruguera retains much of the speed of his tour days.
"He's quick, he doesn't miss much and the balls all jump up in your face with his topspin," Forget said. "I'm really happy for him because he's a great guy. Sergi is the kind of guy you want to be around at a tournament like this one. He's valuable for the crowds, for the kids, for the media, and for the people that come here for lunch. He's always smiling and enjoying life and he's a great player. So it's just wonderful to have someone like him winning a tournament."
Bjorn Borg presented the winners' trophy.
Medina Garrigues Top Seed at Star-Challenged WTA Guangzhou
No Top 30 players in sight this week at the Guangzhou International Women's Open in China, where Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues fronts the tournament billboards around town.
Other seeded players are Virginie Razzano, China's own Shuai Peng, Dominika Cibulkova, Olga Poutchkova, Olga Govortsova, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, and Alla Kudryavtseva.
Wildcards went to China's Shengnan Sun who opens against Medina Garrigues, Zi Yan, and Chunmei Ji.
In last year's final, Russian Anna Chakvetadze fortified her eventual run to the Top 10 by steamrolling Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-4.
Bangkok, Mumbai Out of Balance: ATP Previews
The Thailand Open in Bangkok and the Kingfisher Airlines Open in Mumbai, India, have roughly the same amount of prize money this week, but it's apparent who has more cash where it counts -- under the table, as in appearance fees.
The Thailand Open boasts three Top 10 players with some of the most charismatic names in the game in Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick, along with Czech ball-bludgeoner Tomas Berdych. Throw in former No. 2 Tommy Haas and former No. 1 Carlos Moya among the seeds and you have a solid event.
In Mumbai you have no Top 10 players, with a field headlined by Richard Gasquet, whose best-known result of late was pulling from his first-round match at the US Open citing a fever. Second-seeded in Mumbai is former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, now ranked outside the Top 20. He is followed by a host of non-marquee seeded players, many of who wouldn't even gain entry to a Masters Series event field by virtue of their low rank in Paul-Henri Mathieu, Jarkko Nieminen, Fabrice Santoro, Stefan Koubek, Julien Benneteau and Olivier Rochus, the last three ranked outside the Top 50.
The Thailand Open, by contrast, even had world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in their mix before the Spaniard withdrew citing a sore knee.
Mumbai organizers lost Marat Safin and Marcos Baghdatis to injuries, and may lose Hewitt before the event even begins since the Aussie withdrew from a Davis Cup match over the weekend with a viral infection.
As if things weren't bad enough in Mumbai, constant rains have kept players from practicing in the run-up to the event.
Joining Djokovic, Roddick, Berdych, Haas and Moya among the Bangkok seeds are Russian Dmitry Tursunov, Croat Ivo Karlovic and Spain's Fernando Verdasco. Openers of note include (5) Moya vs. German Benjamin Becker, (7) Karlovic vs. Feliciano Lopez, (8) Verdasco vs. Swede bomber Joachim Johansson, (4) Haas vs. Vince Spadea, and (2) Roddick vs. (WC) Yeu-Tzuoo Wang of Taipei.
In Mumbai, (3) Mathieu opens against (WC) Nicolas Kiefer, and (7) Benneteau vs. former Top 10er Rainer Schuettler are among the few first-round encounters of interest.
TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Roger Federer (aka the Swiss Davis Cup team) is out of the World Group -- Rog needs to get his house in order unless he wants to go down in history as the best player ever (who never won the Davis Cup)...Australia is out of the World Group, which probably brings a reaction of 'Eh...about time' for those that have followed the bottoming-out demise of Aussie tennis...This year's US Open final between Justine Henin and Svetlana Kuznetsova was the worst-rated CBS final of all time according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...Lindsay Davenport after accidently being hit with a ball from Jelena Jankovic that was slammed in frustration: "There's no room to act like you're 12 years old, this is the pros."...The WTA Tour has announced the creation of the Commonwealth Bank International Championships to be held in Bali, an additional year-end championship for eight players who didn't qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships which feature the Top 8 players in the world. The tournament, to be held from Nov. 3-9 in 2009 (the week following the Sony Ericsson Championships), will feature $600,000 total prize money and a winner's check of $200,000. The tournament is initially scheduled to be held in Bali for the three year period 2009-2011...Richard Gasquet has tapped French countryman Yannick Noah for coaching help. Gasquet reached the semifinals at Wimbledon with a comeback victory over Andy Roddick, but has since then slumped. His low point came at the US Open when he withdrew from the tournament citing what critics called a minor ailment. Noah told Le Monde newspaper, "Whether it's a youngster from La Courneuve (a Paris suburb) or Richard Gasquet if I can help, I will. There's a real negativity around this kid who's in the process of becoming a man." Noah says the two have already spent some time together and he is still in the note-taking phase. "Up to last week I didn't know Richard very well. I listened to him, I took notes, I've seen how he works. It's a start," Noah said. "In particular I've read all that was written about him at the US Open. We'll see what we can do together given my busy schedule. But it gives me a great deal of pleasure to return to the world of sport."...Tim Henman says British junior players need to stop whining and man-up: "Sure, it's about kids having accessibility, but I think that's an excuse...They haven't got masses of courts to play on, but they've got the hunger to make it happen...There are too many players that want to blame the LTA or say, 'I haven't got my coach travelling with me.' I just think it's weak and we've got to get away from that."...Amelie Mauresmo on skipping the US Open and needing a break from tennis: "For months I didn't touch my rackets, but I tried to keep up my physical training. I had quality time with my family and friends. I've been on the tour for 10 years, I needed a break."...Andre Agassi is suing the Target line of stores for using his name in association with a sandal...Pete Sampras speaking to the Star-Telegram on what he can expect in his exhibition tour against Roger Federer: "My wife asked me that yesterday, and I said I really don't know what to expect. This is unknown territory for me. I haven't played at a really high level in six years. Hopefully it's going to be competitive and it will be fun. There will be a lot of electricity. I think we'll add some attention to the sport, but I really don't know. I just hope I can play well. I know I'm playing fine. It's just a matter of getting through a little nerves that I might feel, being comfortable and just playing."...Svetlana Kuznetsova pulled from Beijing with an abdominal injury...From USA Today: "It's less than 24 hours before Bob and Mike Bryan are due to take off for the Davis Cup semifinal against Sweden this weekend, but the world's top doubles duo are on another mission: crisscrossing the state of Florida to catch their second Dave Matthews Band concert in two days. Shortly after wrapping up another drenching workout to prepare for the matches in the port city of Gothenburg, the Bryans are road tripping from their home near Tampa to West Palm Beach to see Matthews perform. "We're going to see them four times in two weeks," boasts Bob, who, along with Mike and Davis Cup teammate Andy Roddick, have forged a mutual-affection friendship with the group's tennis-nut violinist, Boyd Tinsley. Backstage access? "We could pretty much walk out there and play the instruments if we wanted to," Bob says."...Peter McCraw has been appointed as the head of coaching for Tennis New Zealand...Serena Williams giving free-association answers to topics posed to her in People magazine: "A really embarrassing moment: "A fellow tennis player hit on me, but it was in the same locker room as me! I was just like, 'I like guys!'" Something overrated: "Maria Sharapova."...IMG has announced that its magazine, Tennis Week, acquired in 2006 and redesigned for 2007, in 2008 will expand to eight issues and in November launch a re-designed website. Randy Master has been appointed the new magazine publisher...Israel's Noam Okun on women's tennis in Israel: "There is too much noise about women's tennis being made here. It is clear that we have a Top 15 women's player. I am sure that if there were a Top 15 men's player, they would not even be discussing Shahar [Peer]...I don't have any desire to talk about women's tennis, because men's tennis is more attractive. It is easy to be successful in the women's, and you can't even compare the two. It is like soccer and women's soccer -- there isn't even such a thing as women's soccer. They just invented a sport that didn't even exist. To play for an hour and earn the same amount of money that the men earn after we sweat for five hours is a joke and irrational."...Israel's Shahar Peer on playing doubles with India's Sania Mirza, who has been protested by Indian Muslims for playing with an Israeli: "We didn't care about it because we liked each other and we don't think about politics. We like to play together and we are good friends."